Give Yourself A Raise
By Becoming A Master Of Your Niche

When you're in business for yourself, you need to convey to potential clients that you are the professional who can help them solve their problems. The more a potential client understands that you truly understand their issues and have the background, training, and experience to help them, the more likely they are to hire you (and pay you well in the process!).

Many business owners, although they may be clear about who their ideal client is and how they serve that type of client, haven't yet gained the level of experience or expertise to attract an ongoing, ample number of well-paying clients. Developing mastery in your niche takes a bit of planning, some research and learning, and also watching what works well with your clients — and it doesn't take as long as you might think.

The first step is reviewing your current level of expertise. What kind of work experience, training, and personal experience have you had that's relevant in any way to your niche? What kind of results are your clients experiencing? According to "Getting Business to Come to You" by Paul and Sarah Edwards, "the great masters in any field not only know a great deal about what they're doing and do it flawlessly; they also understand it intimately, and can explain and even teach others about it".

Next, get familiar with what's available relating to your niche. What associations, trade journals and other publications, books, conferences, trade shows, and other resources are available to you? What aspects of your niche do you most want and need to learn more about to be a master of your niche?

The next steps are to put together a plan for becoming a master in your niche and then start implementing that plan. You're on your way to developing niche mastery!

If you don't already have a compelling, in-demand niche, now is a great time to declare one.

1. Create a plan to develop mastery in your niche.
2. Choose 1-2 things you want to learn each month, and take classes on the subject, read books, and talk to experts in those areas. It doesn't take long to build up a solid level of expertise.
3. Track the results you see with your clients and ask them for feedback and testimonials. Nothing sells like results!

---